Ethan campbell



iran srains raient-rr ernten,

ETHAN GAMPBELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Yi

APPARATUS FYOR STPPIYITGV STEAM-BOILERS WITH WATER.

SpecicationoffLetteifsPatent No; 2,233, dated'l August 28, 1.841.

made and applied to use certain new and'` us'eul improvementsin means ofsupplying steam-boilers with water` by attaching' to suchL boilers av self-acting feeding apparatus independent of:Y pumps` ofi any kindf andY ape plicable in various forms or modesy toany of; the several` descriptions of' boilers now in useffor whichV improved means I seek Let-- ters Patenti of the` United States, and?? that several-` modes of constructingf,4 attaching,y

andlusingzthe saidlV apparatus are fully and substantially set forth: andf shown. inr the` olf low-ing description and: in.` the: drawings attached Lto and.A making. part oft this. specifical tion,V wherein'-Y Figure'l is a` skeletonlp'lanon the line l, 2, on: Fig: 2; which isal sectionalf elevation of the parts.y Figi is a`v general' plan of'the parts-,.attachedato the boiler, and Fig. 41s a generall elevation otr the boilerf andapartsr fo c use; y as: iirst made' andi used by nie.

'llhe otherigures in" the draw-ing. are her A:

after.` separately` referred: to,` and theV sameA letters andfnuinbers', as marks ot reference,V apply toV thev same parts` 1n all the: several.:

figures. n

Ai, isa comlnonupright cylinder boiler, or may be any other ormrof boiler.

B, is'tfhe iire-Achambei'; artheigrate bars; b isthe flueway; c, c, are common gage cocks d; the Water lm'e Ain the boiler:

C, ist abuoy float,` made of: any proper forni and` material; y and constructed so as to, allow the'rintroduction of aquantity or leadto give the needful weight and immersiony forftlie requiredl` purposes.- This buoy float is mounted on a guider rodi e, ythe r lower endy of? which slides in r guidef carriage 7, below the buoygthe upper end. oftherod e passes out ofi` the'boilerfand slides in the stufling:

box g," andv above that2 is connected to the steelyaid lever 71;," thisisfjointed on the small standard z', and carries,thefdescendingvalvef rod cfthelower end of which slides in the stuflingi box. 2,. andi carries the: inner feed' valve-1m, mounted. inaseatin the'inner connecting-.f or feed` pipe mi; next# this is the valve way andoutervalvefseat n, which cou tains the outer vfeed fvalve: 0, .inadezas a screw' valve,` torii purposes hereafter stated., and'I openingfronithe: cro'oled outer connecting.' pipe* p: These parts are shown inplan; in

the lower crossw 'r1 is fitted to allow of the' feedingV float E, having the rod r passed through a tube in the iloat,` on which,` the float. slides-up Vand down and then t-hecross" 711 isA screwed fast.

y (Dn-the underside of theftop of theA cylinder D,- a small hanging.v standard 'U carries onefendofl a counter valvelever u, through which the'rodv 7^ passes", with" a collar below the lever u, and above this-the rod 9/ has an expansive'spiral springfbetween thelever u, and` ai second collar, Y and' above this `finishes in the steam valve e0 opening: upward' toward the boiler; the other end of the lever u carries the-.rod and4 water valve m; the stean'ifpiple F allows steam-to pass from the boiler to? the cylinder by' the valve w, and the screw valve y. allows, ori shuts ofi', the' access" of! steamto the cylinder DA1 when the valve w is shut. The curved Waterpipe al leads tolany reservoir?, or supply of! water, andf has at the top aA funnel G, with a` screw valve e' between the pipe andV funnel atl the bottomot the pipe al is a counter valve a2, toretain the water in,` the pipe, and below this a perforated ball, or rose strainer ai, tolprevent looseor foreign substances passing in.

Then thus constructed and fitted to the boiler,fthisapparatus is to be used as iol` lows.A The'sei'ew valveZ, int-he' funnel G, and the steam valve y, `are to be'opened, the lHout will beat the bottoinoi the cylinder D,

(afs shownl'jy dotted lines) on-the cross r1,-

thewvater valve openythe steam valvew, shut` theA screw feedf valve: 0 open, and the buoy'tloalt c, being unsupported by water, willbedown, andthe'feed valve m willlbe open. Water isnow4 to lne-poured through tliefunnelV G', in suilicient quantity to' pass through the pipes Q9', andml, andpai'tially lilll the boiler.

Fire is now to be applied, to iaise'a small pressurefo steam, and when this is enough todriveout theair from the'cylinder 1),*

byftlieuvalves-y, and @these are to be closed,

thefunnelG, is now tobe'iilled with cold water, `andthe valve Z, opened again. This will allow the cold water from the funnel to enter and condense the steam in the cylinder D, and the valve Z is to be quickly closed again, to shut out the air; the water in the reservoir will now rush in, through the pipe al, to fill the vacuum in the cylinder D, and continue to run into that, and flow through the pipes 71, and m1, until the boiler is so far full, that the buoy float C, rises and shuts the valve 111,. The water will st-ill {iow into the cylinder D, until it raises the float E, up to the point where it strikes the cross 112, and then the buoyancy of the flo-at E, will carry the rod 1, up and open the steam valve 10, closing the water valve at the same time; the pressure of the steam from the boiler will now equalize itself in the boiler and cylinder D, and the water will go off to supply the boiler by the difference of level or hydrostatic pressure through the pipes 79 and m1 as the progressv of evaporation causes the float C, to descend, and open the valve 111, and this will continue, until the float E, again resting on the cross 111, draws down the rod 1", shuts the steam valve 1U and opens the water valve w. The water in the pipe al, will now enter by the valve 0:, and condense the steam in the cylinder D, causing a vacuum, which the water from the reservoir will again rush in, to till up, and raise the float E, until the operations before described are repeated; from this point, the feeding o-f water into the boiler will be continuously repeated, whenever the water in the boiler sinks by evaporation, so as to lower the float C, and open the valve m.

It is not necessary to have the feed valves' 0, and 111/, outside the boiler, when only used for feeding the water into the boiler, as one of my arrangements has been made, to place all that part of the apparatus entirely inside the boiler, thereby avoiding the friction of the stuffing box g, and making the valves 0. and 111/, water valves, as shown in the detached Fig. 8, wherein a third valve o1, is placed in the pipe 11 outside the boiler to serve the purpose of extinguishing lire as hereafter alluded to.

In all cases, where it may be convenient, it will be the best mode to place the float C, with the rods and lever and the valves m, and 0, in a separate vessel, as shown in t-he detached Fig. 12, wherein I, is an intermediate cylinder, between the feeding cylinder D, and the boiler 0:, and connected to the boiler by the water pipe K, and steam pipe L, the other references remaining the same, and the apparatus retaining the same effect, as if it were within the boiler, with these advantages, that it is capable of supplying more than one boiler, it is more readily accessible for examination, adjustments, or repairs, as the communication to the boilei" may be closed by the valve s, and t, and

when applied to the boilers of marine steam engines, the movement of the buoy float C, will be scarcely affected (if at all) by the rolling or pitching` of the ship. This mode of fitting will be found the best in practice with any sort of boiler when it can be used conveniently. On the rod 1, above the frame q, a latch catch 3, and on the frame Q, a hooked latch 4, may be fitted; the tail of this keeps the latch hook 4 to the rod 1", when ascending or descending until the catch 3, comes down so as to allow the hook to catch it, and hold it in this position, with the water valve open and the steam valve eo shut until the float E, rises so as to lift the tail and disengage the latch 4, from the catch 3. This inode of keeping the water valve m, open, and the steam valve u, shut, is shown in the detached Fig. 7.

In place of the crooked latch 4, a beaked latch may be used, as shown in the detached Fig. 11, by which the steam valve w may be kept closed, the latch coming on the collar r2, o-n the rod 1, by the descent, and being released by the ascent of the float E, in the same way, as the latch 4, and catch 3, or, instead of these, a spiral expansion spring t2, equal to the weight of the rod and valve may be placed round the valve rod 1, between the frame g, and a collar 113, and if needful, another spring t3, equal to the weight of the lever u, and valve m may be placed upon the stem above the water valve 1c, these will effect the opening of the steam valve fw and close the water valve on the rising of the oat E, this mode of fitting is shown, in the detached Fig. 13, and is that which may be, generally, preferable in use, to any of the mode-s before described.

The valve 1, Fig. 4 and 01, Fig. 8 has the rod made to screw through the stufling boX, with a shoulder above the valve, which allows it to slide in the valve when open, but when screwed down and the hose H attached as shown in Fig. 4, this portion of the apparatus may be used for extinguishing tire, by the steam driving out the water in the cylinder D, through the valve 02, and hose H, on to any incipient fire, the access of air being prevented by a reverse valve (not seen in the drawing) in the joint of the hose H, the movements of the float and valves within the cylinder D, being exactly the same as when feeding the boiler. For this application of the apparatus it is my intention to seek a separate patent.

In practice for this purpose it will be needful to have the outer valve 0, Fig. 2, and 01, Fig. 8 fitted so, that it shall both move freely, and be readily screwed down,if found needful. Two modes of fitting this are shown in the detached Figs. 9 and 10, the first of which represents the valve, made with the lower stem piece as usual, but the body of the valve is hollow above, and has an inverted cup screwed into it, with a head above, through which the cup receives the upper or movable stem, having on it, a bail, working within the chamber formed by the valve and cup, the upper and movable end of the stem, working through a screw, in the stuiiing box above.

In Fig. 10, the top of the stem works in a round socket, made in the bottom of the upper or movable stem, the socket being made deep enough, to allow the play of the valve in work. By either of these, or by any similar mode, the valve 0 and the third valve 01, can be made effective for its general purposes.

I do not intend to conne myself to the specific arrangements of the several parts, which are shown in the drawings, but to vary the same, as required, according to the form of boiler, or the particular situation, in which the apparatus is to be placed, still retaining the substantial character thereof.

I do not claim to have invented the valves, floats or cylinders, or any of the parts herein described as employed by me for these purposes. But l I do claim as of my own invention- The several modes of combining the operations of the oat E, and valves w and to admit alternatively water and steam into the feeding cylinder D, and the mode of combining these parts with the iioat C, and valves m and 0, so as to furnish a continuous supply of water to steam boilers of any form, including any mechanical variations in the arrangement of the parts, which shall be substantially the same as is herein described, inthe means employed, and the effects produced.

In witness whereof, I the above named ETHAN CAMPBELL have hereunto set my hand in the city of New York this thirtieth day of September in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty.

E. CAMPBELL. [n s] Titnesses IVM. TERRELL, JAMES E. TERREL. 

